Thread: 300tdi bore inspection

hi all hope someone can help just removed the head from my 98 110 defender 300tdi not to sure what to look for when inspecting the bore from what i can see there is a even cross hatch in each bore no marks or scoring.
at the top of each bore there is some black residue with a ever so slight ridge at the top of the block but is very slight.
is this just gently removed or do i just leave it? the ridge on the block will come off when i clean the top of the block.
the engine has done 240,000 ks the head gasket blew at the oil journal at the rear of the head no over heating or water in the motor .
allso with the head gasket it is a landrover monotourqe gasket i cant seem to find the holes that you use gasket selection.
any help appreciated

In the 300tdi engine overhaul section of RAVE, they describe the alternate way to calculate what sort of head gasket you need ( if you replace a piston or surface the block - since the old gasket isn't forthcoming with what it is you may as well try it ) .
Using a dial gauge with a magnetic base, you measure the protrusion of each piston ( at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions facing forward) at the top of their stroke. Average the results and for 0.50 to 0.60mm - 1 hole, 0.61 to 0.70 - 2 hole, 0.71 to 0.80 - 3 hole, 0.81 to 0.90 no holes. Taking the time to find the correct gasket is a worthwhile effort.

If you have a valve compressor, give the valves a de-coke and a bit of a lapping. You'd be surprised on how clogged up they can be.